Thierry Henry could return to Arsenal on loan

Arsene Wenger is open to the idea of bringing Thierry Henry back to Arsenal on a short-term loan deal.

Henry spent eight years with the Gunners before eventually leaving for Barcelona in the summer of 2006. He returned to the Emirates on loan last year and made four appearances for the club, including scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup third round win over Leeds.

The 35-year-old has been training with the club in a bid to maintain his fitness during the the Major League Soccer off-season and his presence at Arsenal’s Hertfordshire base has resulted in speculation that he could sign another short-term loan deal.

Wenger is due to lose Gervinho to the African Nations Cup in January and with the continued uncertainty surrounding Theo Walcott’s future the manager has not ruled out signing Henry on loan.

“Thierry has been practising with us. Will I sign him again in January? I don’t know. I don’t rule it out. I don’t know if he would be interested. He is sharp,” Wenger said.

“I had always resisted. Last year I did it because we lost Gervinho. It was a good connection.

“This year we lose Gervinho again as they are playing in the African Cup of Nations two years in a row, so we will be confronted with a shortage particularly if Chamakh should go. I cannot stand in his way, then we will be short.”

Henry has scored 228 goals for Arsenal and Wenger believes his leadership qualities could prove invaluable to the Gunners as they look to get back into the title race.

“You know what Thierry gives you; he gives you hope, especially when he comes on, that is the most important thing,” he added.

“Thierry is a communicator, an extrovert, very intelligent. He can only give good advice to players because he was in their position when he arrived here.

“I think now this team has an exceptionally good character. There are not many flashy boys. What is the most important thing is not whether you are an extrovert, but what it means to you to do well, your job, your will to win.”